The Australian Mainland Common Wombat also known as Vombatus ursinus is Australia's most common type of wombat seen out of the two types. The two types of wombats are : - The Australian Mainland Common Wombat - The Hairy Nose Wombat
The following table shows the scientific classification of the Australian Mainland Common Wombat .
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Infraclass
Marsupialia
Order
Diprotodontia
Family
Vombatidae
Genus
Vombatus
Species
V.ursinus
Shaw,1800
Ancestry The common wombat has the ancestor of a Giant Wombatalso known as the Diprotodon or the Rhinoceros Wombat
Structure (Labelled Diagram)
Source:http://www.exploringnature.org/db/detail.php?dbID=43&detID=1000 A picture showing the structure of a wombat
The common wombats nowadays have a relatively small body compared to their ancestor the Giant Wombat.The pouch,which is on the back of their body ,between their back legs and that is where the young is kept.The wombat has very short legs and their leg muscles are very strong which can help them a lot when tey are digging burrows and den to stay in.Also their short legs really help them as there predators approach. The rounded body shape that they have can be a protective aspect, the rounded shape would benefit them as they try to roll up into a ball to hide from their predator or just for sleeping and protecting their young. The wombat also have large and sharp claws and it helps them to grab objects and it can help them to speed up their digging process.
Diet The Common Wombat's diet mainly consists of plants. Their diet vary and it depends on where they are. For example when they are in a eucalyptus forest they would have eucalyptus leaves and when they are in a pine forest they would have pine needles.
Distribution
The common wombats are found mainly in the southwest regions of Australia because of weather conditions.In New South Wale, Sydney and Tasmania the wombat can be found in the wild and also in conservation centers.
Source :http://www.wombania.com/wombats/common-wombat.htm A map showing the distribution of the common wombats
Habitat
The wombats live mainly in woodland due to its cool and wetter conditions they also can be found in the mountains , coastal regions of southwest Australia. They tend to be found in the wetter,forested, cool rocky regions. For proper burrow draining sloping ground are also preferred and where they can be commonly found.
The ancestor of the wombat - Diprotodon are said to be found in dry conditions as well as the conditions mentioned above. Professionals think that wombats are no longer found in dry conditions because of the weathers changes that they have been through and due to the buildup of man made structures, and equipment found in those areas. The reduce in their size are also said to be one the the reasons that the wombats are longer found in those conditions.
The common wombats that are found now are in a smaller size compared to the giant wombat and this can also be a factor of why the changed their living conditi
Source:http://www.cnp.org.uk/8_National_Park_Issues--Woodlands.html An image of woodlands that wombats stay in
ons. The current wombats would dig burrows to stay in and they are nocturnal animals meaning that they are active at night and in the morning they would need places to stay in to hide from the bright sunlight . To do that ehy would dig burrows. Compared to the Giant Wombats who were also nocturnal animals they would just shelter under tress and in bushes. This has changed there habitat because the Giant Wombat would require high bush grounds to hide in and yet the common wombats would need lower bush ground to dig through.
The wombats prefer living in the habitats that are mentioned above because of the fact that those habitats cover all their needs. When they are in woodlands, mountain and coastal regions they are well protected by the vegetation and rocks around them. These habitats also give them perfect mating conditions. The wombats also get need cooler regions to live in because they are covered with fur . Being a nocturnal animal they need cooler regions to stay in during the warmest hours of the day and as they live in these special habitats they will have cooler temperatures and still sleep .
The giant wombat would need more protection from their habitats because of the difference in size. The giant wombats are believed to be found in the same habitats as the wombats found nowadays but they are more aware of whats is happening because they can be seen easily due to the size difference and the way they sleep. The giant wombat would sleep either standing up or crouching down and they can be seen easily even when it is night time. They would live in woodlands with higher density and with more places for them to hide .
Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_6sYA7Iz1xgw/SSN3bN5Ot7I/AAAAAAAAHOk/lFgzzPMpcBU/s400/Wombat+burrow+-+Sutton+Forest+-++2+car+garage.jpg An image of burrows dug by wombats
Adaptations -Behavioral Adaptations (2) - Adaptations that the animal does to help it survive and reproduce. -Structural Adaptations(2) - Physical features that help the animal to live and reproduce. -Physiological Adaptations(1)
-Concerning the physical adaptation,metabolism or internal chemistry of the animal.
Behavioral Adaptation One
One of the common wombats behavioral adaptation is how they protect themselves by digging burrows to stay in. They dig burrows because of the fact that they are nocturnal animals and during the day they are easily seen when they are resting and with the behavior of digging and living in burrows they have protection from any other animals. Also ,when they are digging their burrows they usually would dig a little deeper than they need they fit themselves in because they would also hide and keep some food inside to feed their young. The burrows that they dig are a very safe place for them to hide when they are being chased b a predator because of their small body size and the small burrow size , their predators cannot place an attack on them as they cannot fit themselves into the burrow. The reduce in the wombats sizes over millions of years might had even pressure to this behavior. The Giant Wombats size was many times bigger than the current common wombats size and they did not have to dig burrows for protection because of their size they were actually able to scare other predators off because of their large size. The common wombats now have to dig burrows to protect themselves and their young because of their size change over millions of years.
Behavioral Adaptation Two
Another behavioral adaptationn that a common wombat would perform is to have their backside facing out of their burrows when they are resting. The wombats do this al because of protection. Even though their young is in the pouch which is located they would still have their backside facing out because they know that their muscles on the back are stronger. Common Wombats use their backside to attack their enemy . The wombat's round body shape would allow them to roll up into a ball shape for resting and as they sense an enemy they would unroll themselves and give a fast attack on them. Also , when their backside is facing out they give more air to the joey in the pouch and it allows more space for the joey to move . This would not have been done by the giant wombats because as mentioned above the change of size and the giant wombat never needed a burrow. This occurs due to the change in the environment, millions of years ago the wombat did not have as much predators as because not alot of animals live in the same habitat as the wombats but now many animals live in the habitats that a wombat can live in ranging from large animals like dingoes to Wedged tail eagles.This behavior gives a lot of defense to the joey and the wombat itself.
Structural Adaptation One
Source: http://www.animalsgallery.com/marsupials/wombat-pictures/ Image showing the front teeth of wombats
The most obvious structural adaptation that the wombat has developed is their front teeth. Not many marsupials have teeth like the wombats. The front teeth that the wombats have are very sharp and long. Their tooth do not wear out as because they continue to grow throughout their lives and they sharpen their teeth on bark and other plants. They need the sharp teeth so that they can tare plants apart and chew it in order to sallow it. Their sharp teeth is very important for their diet as they live on tough grass, and hard plants. The wombats might have adapted to this due to the change of their habitat and their size. The Giant Wombat had a larger jaw meaning that they did not have to chew as hard as the wombats now and the Giant Wombats were bigger , which is seen that their diet is sightly different to the wombats now. The Giant Wombats would have a diet on younger green leaves that are new and are grown higher on a bush or tree. Which means that they would not need as much of a sharp tooth compared to the wombats now as the leaves would be softer and easier to chew. Animals like the European rabbit have a similar kind of front teeth which is used for the same purposes.
Structural Adaptation Two
Source: http://www.safaribabyanimals.info/2009/12/baby-animal-of-day-baby-wombat_2578.html Image showing the joey in the backward facing pouch
The second structural adaptation that helps the joeys alot is the pouch that they live in. As mentioned earlier the puch is located between the wombats two back legs. The pouch that a wombat has is a very special type of pouch as not many marsupials have it. The pouch that is contained by a wombats has a backward facing pouch meaning that the pouch opening is facing away from the mothers body. The pouch helps the wombat by protecting their young from the dirt and soil that would go onto their pouch when they start digging for a burrow. If the dirt does not fly into the pouch it would not affect the young as much. The Giant Wombat also had a pouch like the wombats now do. This backward facing pouch would give even more protection when it is located on a Giant Wombat because millions of year ago , Giant Wombats have large predators and as they run away from them their young would still be safe in the backward facing pouch. The pouch faces backwards and the joey would stay inside the pouch in a rolled up position and as the pouch is faced backwards the joey gets more warmth from their mother and it can protect the young from catching any sicknesses. This adaptation might have developed because of the need to protect their young .
Physiological Adaptation
The Common Wombat has a very special physiological adaptation which is that they can stay in harsh and hot conditions for a long time without any water. The common wombats preferred habitat is in
Source : http://www.abc.net.au/schoolstv/animals/WOMBATS.htm A picture showing a wombat living in harsh conditions and having a dustbath
woodlands or the rocky mountains and sometimes in those areas water is just not available. It is said that a common wombat can live with out water for over 24 hours and still live. In some circumstances the wombat would not move and be as active than it is usually is and yet this is all because of the fact that they know that they do not have water and do not want to waste their energy and dehydrate. The Giant Wombat would face the same adaptation but it is predicted they they would not be able to live without water for as long as a common wombat can because their bodies would require more water and they would need more energy to do a simple thing compared to the common wombat. This adaptation might have developed because of the range of habitats that they stay in and sometimes they cannot locate a water source they might just have to wait until they move on to find one.
<< Ancestor Animal Future Animal>>- The Australian Mainland Common Wombat
- The Hairy Nose Wombat
The following table shows the scientific classification of the Australian Mainland Common Wombat .
Ancestry
The common wombat has the ancestor of a Giant Wombat also known as the Diprotodon or the Rhinoceros Wombat
Structure (Labelled Diagram)
The common wombats nowadays have a relatively small body compared to their ancestor the Giant Wombat.The pouch,which is on the back of their body ,between their back legs and that is where the young is kept.The wombat has very short legs and their leg muscles are very strong which can help them a lot when tey are digging burrows and den to stay in.Also their short legs really help them as there predators approach. The rounded body shape that they have can be a protective aspect, the rounded shape would benefit them as they try to roll up into a ball to hide from their predator or just for sleeping and protecting their young. The wombat also have large and sharp claws and it helps them to grab objects and it can help them to speed up their digging process.
Diet
The Common Wombat's diet mainly consists of plants. Their diet vary and it depends on where they are. For example when they are in a eucalyptus forest they would have eucalyptus leaves and when they are in a pine forest they would have pine needles.
Distribution
The common wombats are found mainly in the southwest regions of Australia because of weather conditions.In New South Wale, Sydney and Tasmania the wombat can be found in the wild and also in conservation centers.
Habitat
The wombats live mainly in woodland due to its cool and wetter conditions they also can be found in the mountains , coastal regions of southwest Australia. They tend to be found in the wetter,forested, cool rocky regions. For proper burrow draining sloping ground are also preferred and where they can be commonly found.
The ancestor of the wombat - Diprotodon are said to be found in dry conditions as well as the conditions mentioned above. Professionals think that wombats are no longer found in dry conditions because of the weathers changes that they have been through and due to the buildup of man made structures, and equipment found in those areas. The reduce in their size are also said to be one the the reasons that the wombats are longer found in those conditions.
The common wombats that are found now are in a smaller size compared to the giant wombat and this can also be a factor of why the changed their living conditi
The wombats prefer living in the habitats that are mentioned above because of the fact that those habitats cover all their needs. When they are in woodlands, mountain and coastal regions they are well protected by the vegetation and rocks around them. These habitats also give them perfect mating conditions. The wombats also get need cooler regions to live in because they are covered with fur . Being a nocturnal animal they need cooler regions to stay in during the warmest hours of the day and as they live in these special habitats they will have cooler temperatures and still sleep .
The giant wombat would need more protection from their habitats because of the difference in size. The giant wombats are believed to be found in the same habitats as the wombats found nowadays but they are more aware of whats is happening because they can be seen easily due to the size difference and the way they sleep. The giant wombat would sleep either standing up or crouching down and they can be seen easily even when it is night time. They would live in woodlands with higher density and with more places for them to hide .
Adaptations
-Behavioral Adaptations (2)
- Adaptations that the animal does to help it survive and reproduce.
-Structural Adaptations(2)
- Physical features that help the animal to live and reproduce.
-Physiological Adaptations(1)
-Concerning the physical adaptation,metabolism or internal chemistry of the animal.
Behavioral Adaptation One
One of the common wombats behavioral adaptation is how they protect themselves by digging burrows to stay in. They dig burrows because of the fact that they are nocturnal animals and during the day they are easily seen when they are resting and with the behavior of digging and living in burrows they have protection from any other animals. Also ,when they are digging their burrows they usually would dig a little deeper than they need they fit themselves in because they would also hide and keep some food inside to feed their young. The burrows that they dig are a very safe place for them to hide when they are being chased b a predator because of their small body size and the small burrow size , their predators cannot place an attack on them as they cannot fit themselves into the burrow. The reduce in the wombats sizes over millions of years might had even pressure to this behavior. The Giant Wombats size was many times bigger than the current common wombats size and they did not have to dig burrows for protection because of their size they were actually able to scare other predators off because of their large size. The common wombats now have to dig burrows to protect themselves and their young because of their size change over millions of years.
Behavioral Adaptation Two
Another behavioral adaptation
Structural Adaptation One
Structural Adaptation Two
Physiological Adaptation
The Common Wombat has a very special physiological adaptation which is that they can stay in harsh and hot conditions for a long time without any water. The common wombats preferred habitat is in
Bibliography
BBC - Science & Nature - Wildfacts - Diprotodon. (2008, July 1). BBC - Homepage. Retrieved July 20, 2010, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/3040.shtml
Common Wombat. (2004, June 5). Wombaniaâ„¢ Home of the Wombies. Retrieved July 5, 2010, from http://www.wombania.com/wombats/common-wombat.htm